Mind of Steel, Soul of Mourning
by Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf
Summary: Lucas. A Psychic boy from Nowhere. A strong smasher. He should be happy in the mansion, a place full of fighters like himself. Yet he is hollow and cold inside, acting out against everyone around him. Why is this? That's what Link and Zelda strive to figure out. But what they'll find might surprise them. (For EMPIRE OF JOY's Angst contest)


**Hello people! Thank you for reading this (or even for just clicking on it!). This is for EMPIRE OF JOY's Angst contest. I'm really excited, since this is my first attempt at angst. Please review, criticism is appreciated. (Especially on my spelling)**

 **AN: For this story, Zelda and Link will retain memories from Smash 64 (In Link's case), Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4, even if they were changed to Twilight Princess designs in Brawl. They will also retain memories of both Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess.**

 **WARNING: Mother 3 and Ocarina of Time/Twilight Princess spoilers ahead! (Mother 3 has a ton)**

* * *

Lucas walks down the hallways of the mansion, turning corners at random. The blond psychic is wandering around in a daze, barely even comprehending where he is. His mind can only think of _them._ Those things people call memories. Or in his case, the nightmares that keep him awake at night.

Lucas can feel their eyes. Or is it just paranoia? It still feels as if they look at him in either pity or disgust. Thing is, all he wants is to be treated human. Sure... perhaps he's a little... out there, but hasn't everyone here dealt with someone like that?

 _'Am I so...'_ Lucas pauses. What word is he looking for? _'Am I so...'_ Lucas sighs. He's too tired too focus.

"Attention! Lucas, Lucina, Link, and Bowser! You're fight begins in five minutes!" Master Hand's voice booms. Lucas shakes his head, letting out another sigh. Of course, he's got a fight. He had totally forgot.

 _'Well, let's see how this turns out...'_ Lucas thinks with tired sarcasm.

"GAME!"

Link wipes the sweat from his brow as he exits the teleportation machine.

 _'That was intense'_ Link thinks as Lucina walks towards him.

"Good match." Lucina complements the hylian. Link nods.

"You did well, nearly got me with that shield breaker." Link replies. His eyes fall onto his other opponents. Bowser is stomping off, obviously angry at his loss to Link, but it's the other one that concerns Link. There's Lucas, walking away quietly, head hung low. He looks so... defeated.

"You got any ideas what's been wrong with Lucas?" Link asks Lucina as the room clears. The Ylissean princess shakes her head.

"No idea Link." Lucina says as she sheathes her Falchion.

"Perhaps someone else would then." Link says. It's starting to worry the hylian hero.

"I doubt it Link," Lucina says skeptically, "As you know, Lucas is infamous for being... withdrawn and secretive."

"Then how am I supposed to get answers if nobody knows?" Link asks, upset. Lucina shrugs.

"Try asking him." The princess says as she leaves. Link stares after her.

" I just go "try asking him"?" Link asks no one in particular, "Is she serious?" Link rubs his forehead tiredly. Why is this even bothering him so much anyway? He barely even _knows_ Lucas anyway. Biggest thing he even knows about the boy is that he is a powerhouse inside matches.

 _'This'll... be interesting, I guess...'_ Link thinks.

Lucas sighs to himself, sitting in the garden soil, planting small seeds in the soil.

 _'Plants have it easy,'_ Lucas thinks grudgingly, _'No one judges a flower, in fact, they love them...'_ Lucas shakes his head. Why is he having thoughts like this? Is his wish for acceptance that powerful?

"Hey..." Lucas turns to see a weird sight. Link and Zelda, standing before him, speaking to him? What?

"Hi Link." Lucas replies quietly, "Nice to see you Zelda." Zelda smiles at him, much to Lucas' surprise.

"You too Lucas." is her reply. Lucas just stares at her confusedly. Since when do people speak with him?

"Nice job in the match earlier," Link compliments Lucas. Oh. That's why he's here, of course it's about the match. It's always about his fights. His strength. Or weaknesses.

"Thanks..." Lucas mumbles, sitting in the dirt. He goes back to his earlier activities.

"Never knew you had a green thumb Lucas." Zelda says, sitting beside. Link joins the two on the ground.

"I grew up on a ranch." Lucas says quietly, trying to figure out what to do. Does he talk? Or does he leave? Do they really want to talk, or are they just pitying him like the others?

"I didn't know that." Link muses, "What sort of animals?" Lucas looks up with a small frown. How exactly did he get into a discussion of his past?

"Sheep." Lucas replies simply. He turns back, packing dirt onto his latest seed. Link grins.

"I used to work on a ranch with goats. Those things were vicious." Lucas smiles at the image of Link wrestling a goat. An interesting image, weird, but interesting none the less.

"Do you have family Lucas?" Zelda asks. Lucas drops his trowel and seeds, looking up as if stricken.

"Wha-wha I-I-I..." Lucas takes a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He collects his seeds and trowel, "Yes, I have a father... A mother and twin also." Zelda exchanges a look with Link. Both are thinking the same. Is Lucas' family the problem?

"A twin?" Link asks, "Brother or sister?" Lucas cringes. Why, or how did this even start?

"A twin brother." Lucas grumbles, trying to show he does _not_ want to speak of his family.

"That must be cool." Link replies, not really catching on to Lucas' frustration, "I used to wish for a sibling." Lucas' eye twitches.

 _"Link..."_ Zelda whispers quietly, trying to warn Link. Angering a psychic perhaps isn't the best idea, she decides.

"So how long since you've been home?" Link asks, either not hearing, or just plain ignoring Zelda.

"Since this tournament started." Lucas says through gritted teeth. The two hylians blink in surprise.

"That was two years ago Lucas." Zelda says worriedly. _'Perhaps Lucas is homesick... That happened to Ness in Melee once.'_

"Maybe you should go home sometime, see your family." Link suggests. Lucas' blue eyes darken, looking downward.

"There's nothing left for me there." he says quietly. Zelda winces, Link inhaling sharply. It suddenly makes sense now.

"They're... you..." Link searches for the right words. He really shouldn't have pried.

"Yes Link. My brother and mother are dead and my father doesn't speak to me anymore. Happy with your answers?" Lucas asks, speaking with an unnerving calm.

"We apologize for intruding like that Lucas." Zelda says softly. She's no stranger to this situation, loosing her own parents when the Twilight usurper king's, Zant, army had killed her own parents to persuade her to give him control of Hyrule. Lucas gives her no reply, instead returning to the soil.

"Can you just leave me alone now?" Lucas asks, voice quivering slightly. Why..? Why did he even tell these two of his family?

"Yeah. I didn't understand, I'm sorry Lucas." Link says weakly. Lucas' eye twitches, turning to Link.

"No. You did _not_ understand, and I doubt anyone in this entire place will ever understand me." Lucas growls, hostility laced in his tone. Zelda winces at the sudden change in this normally quiet child. This is more than she expected from this encounter. Golden goddesses...

"You will never understand, until you have to watch helplessly as your mother is murdered in front of you by one of your friends, not until you helplessly watch as your twin runs off recklessly to try to avenge her, knowing that he will _never_ come back, all due to your weakness." Lucas hisses, eyes filled with anger and pain. Link's mouth falls open, much to Zelda's disappointment and Lucas' frustration.

"You haven't had to watch your life change around you, everyone shunning you, your life changing forever, all as your father ignores you, looking for his favorite and obviously dead son!" Lucas says, his tone rising, "You will _not_ understand until you realize that after months of hardship, your worst enemy, the one trying to destroy the world is... is..." Lucas pauses suddenly, his voice falling to silence.

"Until you realize that he is your brother." Lucas says in a whisper. Zelda's eyes widen in surprise.

"Great golden goddesses..." Link says under his breath, lost for words.

"As I said. You will. Never. Understand." Lucas hisses, standing, tossing aside a packet of sunflower seeds. The hylians watch in shock as Lucas stomps off, angrily glaring at them.

"I... had no idea." Link mummers, still in shock. This explains a lot...

"This is why he fights, isn't it?" Zelda whispers quietly, "He strives to be stronger, even if he hates conflict so much."

"If he hates conflict, then why did he just get so angry?" Link asks in confusion, watching Lucas slam the mansion's doors on his way inside.

"I... don't know." Zelda admits. _'But I'll figure out.'_ Zelda thinks to herself determinedly.

* * *

Lucas slams the door to his room shut, sliding to the floor, gasping for air. What... What just happened?

"H-how?" Lucas asks himself quietly. Then he notices them. These crystalline orbs of water, falling from his eyes and onto his hands.

"DAMMIT!" Lucas shouts, driving his fist at the wall, with a loud smash. He promised himself, those days were over! The blond stands abruptly and grabs the nearest object, a lamp, and tosses it across the room with all his might. With a mighty crashing sounds, it shatters. He then proceeds to pull off his bedding off the mattress, tossing it in a lump to the side. Next he pulls off the mattress, throwing it with al his strength at the wall.

Exhausted, Lucas falls to the ground, tears streaming from his eyes. "D-dammit..." he whimpers, curling into a ball. Oh... what Claus would think if he saw _this_. Him being so weak, and only over stupid memories.

Yeah. His brother would... well. He'd probably think he was weak. Same with his dad. And that won't work. He's vowed to himself he wouldn't be weak anymore. It's the whole point of him being at this stupid tournament. To strengthen himself. Get rid of that old crybaby Lucas from five years ago. The one who cried over the death of a stupid bee. The one who cried every night for over a year because of his mother's death. The one that his father must've despised so much he ignored and shunned him for three years straight.

Lucas shakes his head quickly, wiping away his tears with his sleeve. That didn't happen. He's not that weak... right?

* * *

Zelda takes a deep breath, looking at the door in front of her labeled ' _Lucas._ '

 _'Great golden goddesses, lead my way.'_ Zelda thinks to herself as she knocks on the door. Quiet shuffling noises walk towards the door, much to Zelda's surprise. Lucas is rather infamous for never answering his door, instead opting to ignore the perpetrator. The door cracks open to reveal a pair of sky blue eyes.

"..Yes..?" Lucas mumbles, peering out the crack. Zelda inhales quietly. Lucas looks like a mess. His normally tidy hair is now tousled and messy, his eyes are surrounded by puffy circles, and his eyes... they look so lifeless.

"You wanted something?" Lucas asks, his tone suddenly razor sharp.

"Oh, uh yes..." Zelda says, "I just... wanted to check in on you. You seemed quite... upset." Lucas scowls at the princess. What the heck does _she_ want?

"Well, I'm fine. See you." Lucas says, voice laced with disinterest, as he closes the door.

"Wait!" Zelda exclaims, putting her foot in the doorway before the door closes. Lucas frown deepens, "I... Can I come in?" Zelda asks, slightly worried of the sharp response she's sure to get from this boy.

"...Fine." Lucas grumbles, opening the door, ushering her in. Why he's doing this, he's not really all that sure. Zelda nods and enters, gasping as she takes in her surroundings. Lucas just falls onto the mattress he had earlier thrown aside.

"We're alone now..." Zelda says slowly, not sure of what to say. Why did she not plan out her words?

"Yes we are." Lucas says dully, no emotion present in his tone. He quietly continues to wonder why he even allowed the hylian inside his room.

"I'm worried about you Lucas." Zelda says, deciding not to mince words, "And I know I'm not the only one." Lucas raises an eyebrow.

"Seriously? You _seriously_ believe that?" Lucas asks. _This_ is why she came in? To pretend to fret over him?

"Yes. I'm serious Lucas. Link and Lucina are worried too." Zelda says intently, "You've been so secluded since this latest tournament's beginning." Lucas throws her a dead stare.

"I've been this way since I was ten Zelda," he replies, tone serious, "I just never showed people in the brawl tournament." Zelda blinks. He's... serious? That boy back in Brawl... the one who always seemed to compassionate, always willing to listen to his peers... he was just an act?

"I doubt that Lucas." Zelda replies.

"And why is that?" Lucas challenges, anger rising again.

"Because the boy I knew in Brawl was genuine. You may believe he was an act, but I doubt that." Zelda says, walking over to sit next to Lucas, "No one can put up an act that convincing for seven years."

"You did." Lucas answers, surprising Zelda, "Back when you pretended to be Sheik, remember?" Zelda looks downwards, thinking over her next words. They'll be crucial to this conversation... they could be what brings him back to life, or they could push him further into despair.

"Lucas... Sheik was a disguise. I think..." Zelda pauses, "I think that the way you act now... I think that's you're disguise." Lucas blinks.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Lucas asks, voice rising slightly. What... how..?

"I think the boy back in Brawl was the real you... the one you used to be." Zelda explains.

"I..." Lucas' voice drops off, at a loss for words. Could... could Zelda be right?

 _'You know she is Lucas.'_ a little voice says in his head, _'This is a front. A protective shell. You did change, in those years between tournaments.'_

 _'Great. Now I'm talking to myself'_ Lucas thinks sarcastically, _'What other great philosophical advice do you have for me, Me?'_

 _'Advice? Shut up and listen. Grow up, stop pouting.'_ the voice responds. Lucas blinks. Wow. He is actually going insane, isn't he?

"Lucas..?" Zelda softly pokes the dazed blond's shoulder, unaware of his mental conflict. Lucas jolts, startled out of his thoughts, turning to Zelda.

"Wha-what?" Lucas asks, rather disturbed by his own apparent insanity.

"You never answered my question Lucas." Zelda says, voice firm.

"Oh. Yeah." Lucas replies, staring at the floor. Should he tell her? What... what his decision is?

"Thing is... You're right Zelda." Lucas sighs, surprising Zelda at his... vulnerability, "I've been rather... rude to people lately."

 _'That's an understatement.'_ Zelda thinks, observing Lucas. _'Why now though? Why's he admitting it now, when many others have attempted to reason with him before me?'_

"To tell you the truth... I've kind of known all along." Lucas admits. Zelda blinks.

"So... you're telling me, you've been acting this way, and you've known it all along?" Zelda asks, somewhat upset.

"Erm... yeah." Lucas replies sheepishly, "But it's been... a shell of sorts. I explained earlier that I went through a lot. But what you don't understand, is that it's all been my fault in some way. My mom died protecting me. And well, Claus ran off to try to avenge her with nothing but a hunting knife."

"That was his choice Lucas, you couldn't stop him." Zelda says assuredly. Lucas looks her in the eyes, giving her a cold dead look.

"Yes. I could have. All I had to do was stand up for myself once, and not bend to the will of others. That's all I did as a kid." Lucas replies, voice laced with disgust, "And then my dad spent the next three years searching for Claus."

 _'That explains his obvious disgust for his father.'_ Zelda thinks, remembering the times in Brawl he refused to speak of his father.

"And then after a long journey, full of monsters, watching my world be destroyed around me, and lots of pain, I met my arch enemy at the final needle." Lucas continues, eyes falling downward, the room's shadows concealing his eyes, "He was this boy. He wore a black jacket and a rather disturbing helmet. He also had this... arm cannon." Zelda nods, finally understanding Lucas' fear of Samus in her armor, "And then as the battle progressed, I just... I just found I couldn't even bring myself to attack this boy in front of me." Lucas reminisces, "Eventually, it turned out he was Claus, brainwashed by that bastard Porky." Zelda gasps quietly. Great golden goddesses, _this_ is why he acts like this? The poor child, going through this at only thirteen.

"And so in the end, Claus freed himself temporarily of Porky's mind control, but only to... to..." Lucas' shoulders begin to shake. He... he can't say it. It's what he's been trying to forget for so long, yet it's also what drives him. "To kill himself." Zelda's eyes widen as she puts a hand to her mouth. "This is why I act as I do. This is why I drive myself to be stronger Zelda. Because... I held him in my arms, watching him die!" Lucas cries out, beginning to sob.

 _'How am I supposed to help him? Amazing how I can calm the most rowdy riot, yet I'm speechless at one boy's story.'_

Zelda thinks sadly.

"Lucas... I think you're the strongest person I know." Zelda says slowly, "Having gone through this, yet pulling through still sane." Zelda wraps her arms around the sobbing boy. She's made up her mind.

"Lucas... you may feel alone, but I'm here." Zelda whispers quietly. Lucas' sobs continue, even harder. This is exactly what he needed.

* * *

 **Wowza. That took hours to write out! I really hope you guys like this. Please review. Cya later people.**

 **Ender2142**


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